NewSong will bring ‘Christmas shoes’ to Pascagoula

They wrote one of the best-selling Christmas songs of all time. On Friday night, they will bringing the song to First Baptist Church in Pascagoula.

It’s been more than 15 years since the Christian rock band NewSong released the song “The Christmas Shoes,” which spent a week at No. 1 on the adult contemporary charts.

NewSong will be at First Baptist Church at 7 p.m. with Matthew West and Love & The Outcome as part of the “Very Merry Christmas Tour.”

“We love playing in Pascagoula,” said NewSong singer Russ Lee. “It’s become one of our favorite stops every year — we’ve made a lot of friends there and it’s like a second home for us and it’s become a part of our Christmas tradition.”

The Pascagoula show is the last date of the tour.

“It will be both a wonderful and sad occasions for us,” Lee said.

The band is touring in support of their new album “The Best Christmas Ever,” which is NewSong’s third album of Christmas songs.

“The tour started because of ‘The Christmas Shoes,’ which kind of an overnight sensation,” Lee said. “We’ve had more than 20 top songs, but we are remembered for the ‘The Christmas Shoes,’ which is a sweet Christmas moment.”

The song has taken on a life of its own since its release in 2000, as it has been the basis of several movies and books. Lee said it’s “the little song that could.”

“It was a last-minute edition to something we were working,” he said. “For a little people, it’s a song about hope because the holidays can be a very tough time for a lot of people.”